What would you do if your husband became a woman after 20 years?

You've heard of a mid-life crisis and the crazy things men do when they are going through one. Some may go out and buy a sports car, some pick up new hobbies, but what if your husband decided he wanted to become a woman? That is exactly what happend to writer Christine Benvenuto, whose story was covered today by TheHuffington Post in an excerpt of her recently released book, Sex Changes: A Memoir of Marriage, Gender, and Moving On.

After 20 years of marriage, Benvenuto's husband, whom she calls Tracey in the memoir, shockingly decided that he wanted to become a woman. But the difference between Benvenuto's hubby and most men who have midlife crisis is that Tracey claimed that it wasn't a crisis, but a "gender sneeze."

I can't imagine what it must be like for a woman to have to deal with her husband going through a gender change. What's shocking is how long Benvenuto was married to Tracey to be suddenly ambushed with this sudden life change on his part.

In the excerpt from her memoir, she recalls when she first started noticing he was changing. According to Benvenuto Tracey had started wearing women's underwear and he never denied that they were his. After that, he wasn't as discreet with the other pieces of women's clothing he owned.

She recalled wanting to understand the father of three's sudden change, but was in denial at the same time. The day Tracey finally spoke about it publicly she said: "He didn't ask. He told. He did. He assumed a treasure trove, a trousseau, of feminine things, and he eloped with himself."

The family continued living normally, but eventually it was something both she and their children couldn't ignore. It resulted in Tracey losing interest in the family and soon Benvenuto realized she and her husband had nothing in common leading to divorce.

This must have been difficult for Benvenuto because she was married to Tracey for 20 years and even had a family with him. But overcoming the pain that stemmed from this and her journey to self discovery, helped Benvenuto move on in her amazing story. If you'd like to read more on her memoir, her book is on sale now.

Image via Thinkstock

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Waht would you have done if you had been in Christine's shoes?

About the author

Giselle Castro is the Editorial Assistant at Mamás Latinas. She loves anything involving film, fitness, nutrition, social media and catching up on the latest entertainment news.